After the End
by NoraGirl
Summary: Follows Mat as he tries to establish a life after Tarmon Gaidon.
1. IntroTeaser

"I almost feel sad about it," Mat said quietly.

The silence stretched for a long time, almost unbearably so, before Tuon finally replied, "As long as you don't feel guilty."

Mat wanted to make a sarcastic comment about that—of _course_ he felt guilty!—but he restrained. When Tuon was angry, his world rapidly degenerated into frosty stares and pointed silences which made him want to scream and tear his hair out until finally _he_ was forced to apologize, whether he had done anything wrong or not. So he wisely kept his mouth shut and his gaze upon the single white rose laying in stark contrast to the black marble.

"I've given him enough of my time," Tuon announced suddenly, turning her back on the tomb. "Come along."

_Just one more moment!_ Mat wanted to cry, but he kept his eye on the rose for only a second longer before turning to follow his wife. He felt as if Rand were staring accusingly at him, and Mat shuddered slightly. Likely he wouldn't have been able to do anything if he _had_ been there. _Just blow the Horn of Valere…_

Tuon sniffed. "If you're thinking about it again, I will be angry."

"Of course not," Mat told her with a cheerful grin, but his voice was strained and the smile felt all wrong. "Thinking about tonight," he added for good measure with his best leering look and a wink.

"Have you no respect, to jest of our marriage so soon after observing a fallen friend and leader?" Tuon demanded coolly, her large brown eyes fixed calmly but sternly on her husband. "Besides, you look like a fool trying to wink."

Mat almost gaped at Tuon, but he caught himself in time. Really, he ought to be used to such contradictory statements that seemed to fall out of her mouth one after the other, but they still surprised him. Likely because he was a commoner and had some common sense, whereas Tuon was a noble—_royalty_ at that! And everyone knew about nobles. Of course, Mat was painfully reminded that he himself was royalty now. Prince of Ravens, indeed. He was Matrim Cauthon of the Two Rivers, and if he had to pretend otherwise to remain with his wife he would, but inside he was still the same.

_A/N: This is kind of a "feeler" post. If anyone is interested in the story, I'll keep going with it, otherwise I'll divert my time and energy to other things. Hope you enjoyed this little bit._


	2. A Decision

"I want to go back to Seanchan," Tuon stated calmly, not even looking up from the letter she was writing.

"What? To _Seanchan_?" Mat nearly dropped the stones piece he was holding. It wasn't like Tuon to _want _anything; she got what she wanted and that was that. Perhaps this was her way of asking, even if she sounded more like a queen declaring justice than a wife asking her husband for something. No, not a queen—an Empress. A bloody flaming Empress!

Tuon paused the smooth flow her pen across the parchment and looked directly at him. Mat could feel himself being drawn into those great brown eyes—he could stay there forever and be happy. _Mother's milk in a cup! Now is not the time to take a romantic turn!_ He reprimanded himself, wrenching his eye away from her and looking at the stones board.

"Yes, to Seanchan. I've been away much too long, and the people will need to see their new Empress. You're hardly likely to win playing stones against yourself," she added with a bland glance at his half-played game.

"This isn't about my bloody stones game!" Mat shouted, sweeping the pieces off the board with a brush of his embroidered sleeve. Which, he thought, could use a little updating. He didn't like the way the gold looked on the green—it reminded him too much of Rand. Besides, it lacked even a hint of lace. Definitely needed to be fixed, or anyone would think him Tuon's _da'covale_.

"Temper, Husband, temper," Tuon said, sounding as if she were commenting on the weather. "You really must work on that. We're leaving tomorrow."

"Now wait just a flaming minute! Do you really think that I am going to bloody just up and—" Mat took a deep breath. A rage would have no effect on Tuon, he knew that. Besides, she never called him that unless she was in some way amused. He was missing something besides just lace it seemed. "What made you decide now, Wife?" He forced his voice to be pleasant, although he couldn't manage a smile.

"Oh," Tuon uttered softly, her tone a touch surprised, but Mat wasn't fooled. She bloody well wasn't surprised but she _was_ amused or he couldn't win a game of dice! Not that he'd played one in a while, he realized. No matter, they diced in Seanchan sure as they diced anywhere. "Oh, you thought _you_ were coming?"

Mat ground his teeth together so hard he thought they might break. So she was planning on _leaving_ him, was she? Up and going back to be the bloody Empress on the bloody Crystal Throne and likely take a hundred perfectly handsome men to her bed before she laid eyes on her husband again? True, Tuon had never shown any proclivity to unfaithfulness, but she'd made it abundantly clear that their marriage was simply advantageous and not a matter of love at all. It wasn't as if he loved her, after all!

"So," he snapped, not able to keep a tighter rein on his temper than that. "_You_ are going to Seanchan and _I_ am doing what, exactly?"

"You want me to tell you what to do?" Tuon sounded perfectly innocent. She was good at that. A _master_ at that! "Why, Husband, I could think you want to be my own personal toy."

Mat couldn't even muster up a properly angry response as he stalked out the door, snarling at anything and everything.

_A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! It really means a lot to me.  I'm sorry that my updates are so short, but at least I'm working on it!_


End file.
